Culture Minister Lung visits Switzerland and Germany

TAIPEI -- Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) left Thursday on a 10 day trip to Switzerland and Germany, with the aim of deepening the cultural ties between Taiwan and two European countries.

On Friday, Lung will sign an agreement with the Switzerland-based European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), enabling Taiwanese artists to join a one-month research program called Accelerate@CERN, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Under the program that was launched last year, artists from different countries receive stipends to spend a month in residency at CERN, which operates the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

Taiwan will be the third country, after Greece and Switzerland, to cooperate with CERN on the program, which seeks to promote integration of science and art, the ministry said.